Holly Harvey

Case information

Defendant: Holly Harvey (15) Country/State: Georgia, United States

Status and outcome

Holly Harvey pleaded guilty. On April 13, 2005, she was sentenced to two life sentences in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of malice murder. Because of her age, she was not eligible for the death penalty. She would not be eligible for parole until after she served 20 years in prison.

The offence

Holly Harvey and her friend, Sandy Ketchum, were accused of stabbing Carl Collier (74) and Sarah Collier (73) multiple times inside the Colliers’ house in north Fayette County. Carl Collier and his wife Sarah Collier were each stabbed multiple times on Aug. 2 inside their home.

The girls then allegedly fled in the Colliers’ truck.

Holly Harvey and Sandy Ketchum were also charged with armed robbery.

Investigation and arrest

Police said the girls were lesbian lovers and killed the Colliers because they disapproved of the relationship and refused to let the girls go to the beach together.

The girls were arrested the next day in Tybee Island after the slayings.

Police described that they found a sort of to-do list scrawled in ink on Harvey’s arm: "kill, keys, money, jewelry."

In a statement to police, Sandy Ketchum said Holly planned the crime and that Holly wrote the to-do list with the words “Kill, Keys, Money and Jewelry.”

Police said both girls were armed with knives during the attack, and that Holly admitted in court that she picked “the biggest knife” in the kitchen while preparing for the assault. The knives were later recovered by police, along with Mr. Collier’s truck, which the girls used to flee the area.

Investigators found a bag of the girls’ belongings containing two bloodied knives and bloodstained clothes.

Tybee police officer Frederick L. Anderson III said that after she was booked, Holly asked if “they” were really dead, referring to her grandparents, the Colliers, stating: “I asked her who, and she responded, ‘Did they die all the way?’”

A friend of Holly Harvey gave a statement to police saying that Holly “hated her grandparents, mainly her grandma.” The friend also said: “She was very disrespectful to them.” and “She hated living there.”

Police said the girls were arrested at a house in Tybee Island, where they had befriended two boys and spent the night.

When the girls were arrested and patted down, a knife was discovered in Sandy Ketchum’s pocket.

Lt. Col. Bruce Jordan of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department stated that officers were led to believe that there was a possibility the girls planned to kill the boys’ mother in order to steal her car.

At the time of the arrest, Holly surprised officers by laughing as she walked past them.

Plea and trial proceedings

Holly Harvey pleaded guilty during a court hearing. Her hearing lasted less than 10 minutes.

Harvey had been due to enroll as a freshman at Sandy Creek High School.

Holly spoke about the stabbings and the blood. She told the judge that the blood felt like "a bucket of hot water."

During the court proceeding, the judge asked Holly after sentencing her if 20 years in prison was "a good deal" for killing her grandparents. She answered: "no."

When asked what she thought should happen to her, she replied: "I think I should be dead."

The judge muttered: "We both agree on that."

As part of her plea, Holly Harvey detailed how she killed the couple:

• Ketchum suggested stealing the grandparent’s truck "to get something to calm us down", and Holly said she responded: "'We'll have to kill them to do that,'” and she said, "But I didn't mean nothing by that," she told Judge Pascal English.
• Ketchum suggested hitting them in the head with a lamp and then suggested getting a knife. Holly said: "I got the biggest knife I could find out of the kitchen," and added that they practiced stabbing a mattress to see if the knife was sharp enough.
• When the grandparents came downstairs to get a suitcase, Holly said she stabbed her grandmother.
  • Holly said: "My eyes were closed the whole time,"
• Carl Collier then pinned her down, and Holly said she stabbed him in the chest.
• Holly said she pursued Carl as he ran upstairs and tried to call for help, pulling the phone out of the wall.
• She said: "He grabbed the knife and I thought he was going to stab me," adding that she took the knife from him and started attacking him.
• When the judge asked Holly why she did it, she said: "For Sandy," and added: "So that we could be together."

Holly also pointed blame at Sandy Ketchum for ordering her to run upstairs after Carl Collier, according to her plea.

Sandy Ketchum told Lt. Col. Bruce Jordan that Holly had been discussing killing her grandparents for days, and that Carl and Sarah Collier wouldn’t let Holly and Sandy see each other.

Sandy Ketchum indicated to Jordan that Holly planned the crime, including the to-do list: “Kill, Keys, Money and Jewelry.”

In Sandy Ketchum’s account to Jordan, Sandy said the Colliers managed to pin Holly down on the bed in Holly’s basement bedroom and that they told Holly: “You’re on drugs, you don’t know what you’re doing.” Sandy said she was hiding beside Holly’s bed and took part after Holly asked: “Why aren’t you helping me?”

At one point in Sandy’s account, Sandy said after she “finished with” Sarah Collier’s attack, she went upstairs and dodged a coffee mug thrown by Carl Collier as he tried to fight off his granddaughter.

Sandy said she then saw Holly “delivering a severe blow to Carl’s neck which sent Mr. Collier to the floor,” according to Jordan’s interview summary.

By the time the attack ended, sheriff’s detectives noted that both girls had blood all over themselves, down to their undergarments.

Jordan noted Sandy’s response when he asked why they were so compelled to kill the Colliers, and Sandy replied: “We just wanted to leave to be together forever,” adding: “Those people didn’t deserve to die.”

Sentencing

Date of sentencing

On April 13, 2005, Holly Harvey was sentenced to two consecutive life prison terms.

Counts and maximum penalty context

Holly Harvey pleaded guilty to two counts of malice murder as part of her plea.

The maximum sentence the girls could have received was life in prison without parole.

Parole eligibility

Other people and related proceedings

Sandy Ketchum (16): Ketchum was sentenced to serve three life sentences to be served consecutively. During her hearing, Ketchum was immediately cooperative with authorities, showed remorse, and was prepared to testify against Holly at trial, factors described as justifying a lighter sentence.

Judge Johnnie Caldwell sentenced Holly in her proceeding, and Judge Pascal English handled her hearing.

Judge Johnnie Caldwell sentenced Ketchum for murder and armed robbery with sentences to be served concurrently, and parole eligibility described as in 10 years.

Prosecutor Scott Ballard said during the hearing that Ketchum’s cooperation, remorse, and readiness to testify justified a lighter sentence.

Other details

Holly Harvey was described as having lived with her grandparents while her mother served a prison term.

Holly’s mother was Carla Jane Harvey, who was serving a prison sentence for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

In a July 28 letter, Carla Harvey wrote to Holly. Carla Harvey counseled: “If you care about your freedom at all you’d better fly right and straighten up.” She also wrote: “I can’t stand the thought of you being there and what you have to go through,” and apologized: “I want you to have faith that this will all be over soon,” and “And believe that we are gonna be together and happy real soon.”

A letter from Carla Harvey mentioned she was astonished that Holly was put on probation in Fayette County for an unspecified juvenile offense and that “It ain’t no joke.”

Police said the Colliers often disapproved of the relationship and refused to let the girls go to the beach together.

Investigators said Holly and Sandy fled using Carl Collier’s truck and called several friends along the way, urging them to watch the 10 o’clock news, according to witness statements filed in the case.

After their arrests, Sandy Ketchum expressed urges to kill herself and was placed on suicide watch.

Holly was described as having spoken at sentencing after choking back sobs and speaking softly as she recounted the killings.